Shared Living: Survival Kit

Sharing a flat with other students who you have not met before, for the first time can be quite stressful. You start thinking about who is going to do the cleaning, will I like everyone? But have no fear... I have some hints and tips to help you settle in.

The key in term one is to gather everyone together and have a chat about flat rules that everyone agrees and is happy with. Think of the long-term instead of the short-term! The Residential Advisor at your site will make sure that this process will take place and that it keeps every flat mate within the flat happy with what is agreed.

Things to consider are:

Cooking

Cleaning

Washing Up

Guests

Noise

There are a variety of options associated with cooking in shared living. You can cook by yourself so that you are in control of your finance and your diet or some people prefer to cook as a group, as it is a great way to get to know each other and save some money. Things to consider are where everyone will store their food and if there needs to be times when people can prioritise their cooking due to commitments.

Cleaning is often one of the things that will come up in flat mate conversations. You can either clean up as a group or you could set up a cleaning rota. Remember to create a diary easily accessible by all your flat mates so that everyone is on the same page. S0mething that always saves everyone an argument is if you all clears up after yourselves.

You could agree to either do your own dishes or have a rota. Doing your own dishes gives you control but make sure you clean up just after you have cooked/eaten. People quickly become unhappy with stacked up dishes on the side!

The university allows you to have two guests in your flat during the day and one overnight. Another thing to bear in mind is checking with your flatmates that they are okay for you to have guests round. Most people are more than happy as long as everyone has an understanding. Don't forget that you are responsible for your guests while they are with you!

Noise is also important. Most accommodation sites have a curfew at 11pm. Please make sure you respect your flat mates and neighbours. Make a clear rule about noise and how you are going to deal with in at the event of noise. You may have finished your assignments but your flat mates may be studying for their exam due in two days.

Whilst I lived in halls, I tried to use these guidelines to help keep the peace in my flats. There is always support for when it doesn't work via your Residential Advisor!

Good luck and enjoy your time with us! Find out more about different services who can help you settle in here.